Climate Control: can anyone tell me what "auto" is supposed to do?

[Wheelin98TJ]

Auto controls the temperature of the air that is blowing, the fan speed, and which vents it blows from. It will use defrost + footwell when it thinks the windshield might fog. It will switch to vents and blow cold air on you when it reaches/exceeds the set cabin temperature and thinks it needs to cool you down. My Ram has the added "feature" of temperature drift where, after it has warmed the cab to the proper temperature, I have to increase the temp setting by 2 additional degrees every 15-30 minutes to get it to quit it blowing cold air on me.

Manual mode lets you set the fan speed and which vent it blows from. The temperature of the air that is blowing is still "automatic". It is not actually "manual" like the old style AC controls were.

I much prefer the old style controls of a temperature slider/knob, fan speed control, and vent selector. It always blew the correct temperature air at the correct airspeed from the correct vent(s), it reacted instantaneously, or nearly so, to any changes in those selections, and it never switched to blowing cold air on me in the wintertime.

Older vehicles with auto had the ability to select the vents. So the auto was only controlling fan speed and temp. My 2010 Ford was like this, 2009 Grand Cherokee, and 2002 Grand Cherokee.

I thought my newer Ford did too, but I was looking at it on the way home and the vent selection is nonexistent when in auto mode.

I’ve had trouble with the cables in the older style. Had a 1998 TJ that I had to move the blend door manually by reaching under the dash. I’ve also had troubles with the auto, dual zone stuff. Blower motor resistors, cold heat on one side because of a blend door failure and dash removal required. I much prefer the old stuff too when it comes to reliability and the ease of repairs.

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